Large amounts of beryllium-7, an element that decays into lithium, have been found inside nova Sagittarii 2015 N.2

Lithium, the lightest solid element in existence, plays an important role in our lives, both at the biological and the technological level. Like the majority of chemical elements, its origins stem back to astrophysical phenomena, but its point of genesis was so far unclear. Recently, a group of researchers detected enormous quantities of beryllium-7 –an unstable element which decays into lithium in 53.2 days– inside nova Sagittarii 2015 N.2, which suggests that novae are the main source of lithium in the galaxy.